Scientists are only beginning to do the research on how individual species of organisms might respond to increasing levels
of ocean acidity as atmospheric levels of CO2 continue to rise.
In addition, the CO2 emitted by human activities has caused an increase
of ocean acidity, with poorly understood but potentially important negative impacts.
These increased levels
of ocean acidity are impacting the ability for coral reefs to recover from disturbance and bleaching.
The rate of change
of ocean acidity is many times faster than anything experienced in the last 55 million years.
A new prize aims to change that by offering a $ 1 - million reward to inventors who can devise a cheaper and more accurate test
of ocean acidity, which is measured in pH, a gauge of the concentration of ions in a solution.
The findings increase the urgency of confronting the crisis
of ocean acidity, says Richard Feely, a collaborator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Not exact matches
The sub-valley's cool climate is tempered by its proximity to the
Ocean, with daytime temperatures fluctuating from 8 °C to 25 °C during high season, helping to preserve the natural aromatic flavours and
acidity of the grapes.
The proximity
of the
ocean to the vineyards tempers the daytime temperatures, which vary from 8 °C to 25 °C during high season, helping to preserve the natural aromatic flavours and
acidity of the grapes which is clearly reflected in our Syrah.»
It was and remains the original North Coast
ocean - exposure area, allowing for high
acidity along with the growth restraints from the climate and soil type to force lots
of flavor in the grapes.
For example, as global CO2 levels rise, increases in the
acidity of the
ocean are expected to have dramatic impacts on sea life.
Greater
acidity also «impairs their ability to discriminate between the smell
of kin and not, and
of predators and not,» according Philip Munday, a professor and research fellow at the Coral Reef Studies center at James Cook University in Australia, who conducted the experiments and presented results at a symposium here this week called The
Ocean in a High - CO2 World.
Yeh said the team's approach could also be used to study how four or more pharmaceuticals interact, and a similar mathematical framework could be used to better understand climate change (for example, to understand how temperature, rainfall, humidity and
acidity of the
oceans interact) and other scientific questions that have three or more key factors.
Among other examples
of local and regional tipping points are the rapid collapse
of coral reefs in the face
of rising
ocean acidity and the transformation
of ecosystems by the extinction
of a dominant species, or the introduction
of a new one.
Most electricity generation produces CO2, but to stop the gas drastically changing climate and
ocean acidity, we have to keep it out
of the atmosphere
For three years, they observed marine environments near undersea volcanic vents where CO2 levels are high — providing a window into the future
acidity of ocean water — along with adjacent areas
of normal
acidity.
It may takes tens
of thousands
of years for
oceans to recover from the
acidity caused by increased levels
of carbon dioxide
They must also deal with a host
of challenges tied directly to the environment and potentially amplified by climate change, including warming waters, increasing
ocean acidity and the spread
of diseases that can decimate shellfish stocks.
Climate change, in the form
of warmer waters and increasing
ocean acidity, may exacerbate economic uncertainties.
An analysis
of CO2 preserved in ice cores shows that for more than 600,000 years the
ocean had a pH
of approximately 8.2 (pH is the
acidity of a solution measured on a 14 - point scale, with a pH below 7 being acidic and above 7, basic).
This newest threat follows on the heels
of overfishing, sediment deposition, nitrate pollution in some areas, coral bleaching caused by global warming, and increasing
ocean acidity caused by carbon emissions.
When the pH
of the
ocean dips as a result
of absorbing this excess gas, bottom sediments rich in calcium carbonate begin to dissolve, countering the increase in
acidity.
As the temperature and
acidity of a test tank climb, diatoms that dominate the cold northern
oceans fall off steeply in number — an ominous sign, given that they currently support by far the richest fisheries in the world.
Their mission was to study how the abundant marine life in these frigid waters will bear up under the stress
of one
of the world's most daunting, if least publicized, environmental threats: the rising
acidity of the
oceans.
The strength
of the byssal threads varies seasonally, Carrington said, with mussels creating significantly weaker threads in late summer when the
oceans reach higher temperatures and high levels
of acidity — both
of which are also on the rise due to climate change.
Rising
ocean water temperatures and increasing levels
of acidity — two symptoms
of climate change — are imperiling sea creatures in unexpected ways: mussels are having trouble clinging to rocks, and the red rock shrimp's camouflage is being thwarted, according to presenters at the AAAS Pacific Division annual meeting at the University
of San Diego in June.
Acidity may impair movement Previous research has shown that when carbon dioxide is absorbed by the
ocean and it becomes more acidic, concentrations
of calcium carbonate drop, and that hurts shellfish and corals, which use calcium carbonate to build shells and skeletons.
On average, researchers estimate that surface waters, where key players in the
ocean food chain live, have seen a 0.1 decrease in pH since the beginning
of the Industrial Revolution; that's an extraordinarily rapid 30 % increase in
acidity.
As growing carbon dioxide gas emissions have dissolved into the world's
oceans, the average
acidity of the waters has increased by 30 % since 1750.
As a result, the region is already experiencing levels
of acidity three-fold greater than the global
ocean average, with devastating impacts on the state's US$ 270 - million shellfish industry.
Computer models peg
ocean acidity at 7.8 to 7.7 by the end
of the century at the current rate
of greenhouse gas emissions.
The goal
of the study, she said, was to help guide conservation efforts in advance
of the expected rise in
ocean temperature and
acidity by the end
of this century, as forecast by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The plankton incorporate different forms
of boron into their shells, depending on the seawater's
acidity, so each shell serves as a chemical record
of the
ocean's pH during its occupant's brief life.
Ocean acidification is further increasing the
acidity of that deep water.
Paul Bunje is the senior director
of the Wendy Schmidt
Ocean Health X Prize, a $ 2 million open competition seeking a way to reliably map the
acidity of the
oceans.
The uptake
of fossil fuel carbon dioxide (CO2) by the
ocean increases seawater
acidity and causes a decline in carbonate ion concentrations.
However, this process also increases the
acidity of seawater and can affect the health
of marine organisms and the
ocean ecosystem.
By manipulating the
acidity of the Biosphere 2
ocean and measuring the resulting growth rates in coral between 1996 and 2003, Langdon proved that
ocean acidification from rising atmospheric carbon dioxide would radically affect calcium carbonate — shelled marine life (pdf).
Scientists have long suspected that volcanoes dumped trillions
of tons
of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and that some
of it dissolved in the
oceans, leading to an
acidity that can weaken sea creatures» ability to make calciferous shells.
In a major new international report, experts conclude that the
acidity of the world's
ocean may increase by around 170 % by the end
of the century bringing significant economic losses.
«As
ocean oxygen content declines and
acidity increases in California waters it will become increasingly important to incorporate these changes into fisheries management practices,» says Scripps Institution
of Oceanography researcher Lisa Levin, Sato's advisor and a study coauthor.
The goal
of this X PRIZE, according to Bunje, is to turn
ocean acidity readings into valuable and ubiquitous information as is the case with temperature data, and he hopes to inspire research spending well in excess
of the prize money put up.
Local factors such as
ocean streams, temperature, depth, and
acidity determine the composition
of plankton ecosystems, Karsenti said.
By demonstrating that key individual species within the ecosystem can play a disproportionally large role in carbon cycling, this study helps bring us a step closer to understanding the function these microbes play in larger questions
of climate warming and increased
acidity in the
ocean.
As the uptake
of carbon dioxide has increased in the last century, so has the
acidity of oceans worldwide.
Climate change models predict that carbon dioxide levels and
ocean acidity will more than double before the end
of the century.
The continual drop in oceanographic pH (increase in
acidity) is arguably one
of the most worrying effects
of atmospheric carbon, as up to 40 %
of the CO2 released will eventually be dissolved into the world's
oceans, lakes, and rivers.
One
of the most critical effects
of increasing
ocean acidity relates to the production
of shells, skeletons, and plates from calcium carbonate, a process known as calcification.
Since the Industrial Revolution,
ocean acidity has increased 30 %, and projections are saying it could be 150 % more acidic by the end
of the century.
Three global bleaching events have taken place since the 1980s, including one that is going on right now, as a result
of climate change increasing
acidity levels and temperatures in the world's
oceans.
At these locations volcanic carbon dioxide escapes from the seabed, lowering the water's
acidity to a level, which scientists predict for the future
of the
oceans.